Radio active
- Thread starter najim
- Start date
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I'm not sure what the point of your post is, but I'm guessing that since you've heard of vacuum tubes containing radioactive materials, that you're worried that they are dangerous and unsafe to handle. This is not the case.
In this thread, one of the members here discovered that some of his old stock vacuum tubes contained a small amount (2%) of a radioactive substance in the heater element. Preamp tubes are small, and the heater is the smallest part. That's not a lot of radioactive material. Use of small and thus relatively harmless amounts of radioactive materials is more common than you may think. Take a look inside your household smoke detector some time. Odds are, it contains a tiny amount of radioactive americium. The (tiny) amount of radiation emitted by the (tiny) amount of americium is part of how the smoke detector can detect smoke.
In the aforementioned thread, the guy who purchased the tubes took a geiger counter and found that his hand emitted more radiation than the tube did. So I confident that unless you break a vacuum tube open and try to inhale or ingest its contents or rub its contents on your skin, you pretty sure you won't have to worry.
In this thread, one of the members here discovered that some of his old stock vacuum tubes contained a small amount (2%) of a radioactive substance in the heater element. Preamp tubes are small, and the heater is the smallest part. That's not a lot of radioactive material. Use of small and thus relatively harmless amounts of radioactive materials is more common than you may think. Take a look inside your household smoke detector some time. Odds are, it contains a tiny amount of radioactive americium. The (tiny) amount of radiation emitted by the (tiny) amount of americium is part of how the smoke detector can detect smoke.
In the aforementioned thread, the guy who purchased the tubes took a geiger counter and found that his hand emitted more radiation than the tube did. So I confident that unless you break a vacuum tube open and try to inhale or ingest its contents or rub its contents on your skin, you pretty sure you won't have to worry.
Timbre Wolf
Well-known member
The radioactive potassium in a banana will set off a geiger counter much more than a typical guitar amp vacuum tube. Watch out for those "hot" fudge sundaes 8)
- T
Not a problem - many of us have played electric guitar and still been able to procreate. Maybe too many! :lol:na said:could we beleave that most hi performance musician do not kids,due to radiation of the amps¡¡¡¡¡
- T
There is trace radioactive elements in tubes as well as other not so good metals .
So just like a fluorescent bulb , if it breaks just don't touch it , get some duct tape and pick it up with that .
As far as safety I like to say , I only know OLD TV repair men . So it did not effect them .
Today there is so much overkill on safety .
Hey , your microwave is much more scary
So just like a fluorescent bulb , if it breaks just don't touch it , get some duct tape and pick it up with that .
As far as safety I like to say , I only know OLD TV repair men . So it did not effect them .
Today there is so much overkill on safety .
Hey , your microwave is much more scary
